Shaintar_J&L_Defenders of Stahlheim

33th of Raining Leaves to 2nd of Harvest Moons
Fatigued both physically and mentally from the ordeal that called for their attention abruptly, the rangers descended from the mountain region and hiked back to Crag

2nd of Harvest Moons
Wasting no time they reported to Granyt on not only finishing their duties, but the encounter with the Kal and its Childer associates. Told it was an appropriate time to resupply without much haste, the group prioritize on their own matters. Shayline went down to the Fae Nation to recruit a Druid to oversee the new temple, but to no prevail. A combination of her beauty, persuasion, and good intentions snagged her a Dwarven priest and a substantial group of Dwarven Mercenaries to act as temple guards. Rorauk took care of things financially between all their actions, utilizing his connections and wealth to suceed quite handsomely. Amidst all of this was meeting an Eldakar Noble familiar and had some ties with the Fyrforg clan.

Unknowingly his presence intertwined with their own path as the suave noble searched for a teacher to learn the Dwarvish language. Diplomacy reaped its rewards in the form of a Dwarven Lore Warden, taking time in imparting everything he knew for the foreigner. This succeeded in the end, gaining someone of note in Crag to help should he ever need it and with that some fluency in Dwarven. Murvoth went outside the city itself to patrol, meeting an Ogre baring the cloak of Grayson’s Gray Rangers. Carrying an Kalyacor, he introduced himself as Korog and acquainting himself with fellow kin caught whiff of a Malakar patrol group a little too close to their area. Leading the charge both confronted them with the seasoned ranger getting injured. Finding them meager pickings and a small test for the newcomer Murvoth limped back to town and searched for a pub, he proceeded to lick his wounds and consume the majority of the ale of the small establishment while the Ogre dominated them and brought back some information obtained from the patrol.

Jarvis barely familiar with the territory he was re-stationed at motivated him to go exploring in Crag.. Delving deeper into the town had him tackle the underbelly of the area, gaining some friendly company from a “barmaid” that only wished to make the outsider feel comfortable. This became true for the knowledge he obtained, plus a new friend to help with that special itch.

Finally I have completed Ranger training. Now I am being sent with several other recruits to meet with several other Rangers to investigate some problems with a new floater concoction. Heading to Shale to meet with other Rangers and hopefully resolve the problem.

After we resolved that issue, I am enjoying being with the Rangers. One of my companions, a Eldakar named Harod, received a message and announced that he needs to journey back to his homeland. Apparently he is a noble of some type. I knew there was a reason that Ogres abolished such foolish practices. In any event, I have decided to accompany him since the Eldakar are a very long lived people and I hope to encounter someone who can tell me more of the time before Ogres were enslaved. He does tend to blather on about Archanon but hopefully he will tire of it soon.

The journey was never ending it seemed. To hear Harod talk one would think that Archanon did everything. We have had several people join us as we travelled but after a day or so, most realized they forgot something back at a tavern or somewhere else just to get away from Harod. He is such a likeable and kind person at first but day in and day out having to listen to him proselytize about Archanon has made me begin to regret my decision to come with him. Still, he is a kind soul and pulls his share of the travel shores. Thankfully we have arrived in his homeland and I have been asking around to learn more about my Ogre ancestors. Most claimed to know nothing but I found two ancient Eldakar in a tavern who told me of a time long ago. Granted, they had been drinking but their recollections rang true and I feel I am closer to finding the evidence that Ogres were indeed a First Race.

A combination of both Rendolan’s druid and Murvoth helped in the pursuit of the kidnappers, tracking their whereabouts as the group advanced to the mountains. Upon arrival they were greeted with a platoon of Ratzin with a Minotaur leading the Childer. Neglecting the amount of opponents, Murvoth still consumed in rage went berserked and entered the fray. Shayline had plans of her own, enveloping herself in energy before unleashing her might onto the Ratzin forces, stunning and obliterating an ample amount of them. Rendolen’s soldier exploited their superior archery as a volley of arrows rained onto them. Murvoth smashed through them, but not without taking a mighty slash from the Minotaur, shrugging it off while enthralled in anger, caving the Minotaur with a hook combination.

Both Shayline and Murvoth were disturbed at the sight of an altar with three Eldakar children laying there, two already sacrificed in their barbarous ritual and another on its way by a Kal-Anar Priest adorned in Blood steel. The majority of the group suffered from the despoiled grounds of the temple to Ceynara, however Jarvis was free from this agony and helped take out a few of the opposition. The rest managed while going through this battle, eventually freeing them as Rorauk’s Dwarven Axe ripped through the priest and watched as Murvoth, in his vengeance, threw the wrenched man into the cauldron of blood. In the back of the cavern they found the other four eldakar children bound, fearfully awaiting their turn to be sacrificed.

32 Raining Leaves

After that grueling battle there was still more to be done. Rendolen and his troops headed south with the surviving children to reunite them with their families. Hopefully the young Eldakars can put this terrible incident behind them. While Shayline insisted that this vile temple be cleansed and consecrated in the name of the Silver Unicorn.

Shayline struggled during the 24 hours, the time out on the despoiled ground taking its toll on her. Murvoth did his best to stand by her but it was too much for him as he crumpled from the taint and Jarvis drug him out to fresher ground to recover as Shayline stood with the Giant statue of Ceynara viciously gazing upon her.

33th Raining Leaves

Calling out the deity out as her task was completed, Shayline added injury to insult as the temple was besieged and converted. The heat of the moment was not without its consequences, provoking a god to recognize her personally. Ceynara manifested through her statue and struck Shayline scornfully in unholy flame throwing her across the temple against the far wall marking her forever as an enemy of hers. Shayline should have been broken as she hit the wall, but her prayers of sanctity were answered as Jarvis witnessed the Silver Unicorn interpose her body between Shayline and the wall saving her devoted priestess.

Another temple converted from Ceynara to the Silver Unicorn. The question is with Shayline marked from challenging Ceynara, what could they expect for retribution in the future?

With the collection of documents they suspect are of Builder origin, the squad prepare to trek back to Crag to give their report.

23 Raining Leaves

Immediately back to town, everyone followed Rorauk into Granyt’s office. Displaying one of the books that radiated a weird magic that at this point was summed up to the Builders was handed to him. Jav-rasn offered to look into the book personally, queuing the majority of the rangers to back up mainly out of precaution. Those reservations proved true for when a lightning bolts emerged to strike, yet only their superior officer and the Aevakar were within range. Taking the blunt of the force, he needed aid with haste. Deciding to take a leave of absence to study further, Jav-rasn departed from the squad while Shayline felt obliged to go check on the areas ravished by the werewolf attacks. While she was gone, the rest tended to their own business, not to mention being reunited with an old ranger comrade.

Shayline found two suffering from the ailments from the werewolves. She brought them back to the temple and spent the next seven days healing them. Rendolen and his squad happen by the temple during the healing and his druid helped Shayline with the healing. They were on the trail of some Eldakar children that had been kidnapped and hauled off into the mountains.

31 Raining Leaves

Murvoth’s expression changed as if reliving a nightmare from the past, storming off with the entire group ready to tackle another crisis. The squad gathered their gear and joined Rendolen and his squad in tracking the kidnappers into the mountains.

21 Raining Leaves
Returning to the TOTSU, most of the rangers felt compelled to further investigate the area which originally had a cave in, especially Murvoth who missed the battle with the werewolves. Jav-rasn still felt the affliction from the werewolf bite, yet lycanthropy was not going to reap its corrupted head this day. Shayline on the otherwise did not see it necessary to go this time around, instead opting to remain in the temple and rest.

Exploiting his racial abilities to see without much aid by torches and skill in stealth, Murvoth scouted ahead for the others. A comical occasion occurred where his own prowess in staying undetected even bewildered the group, moving ahead and opening doors despite warning from Rorauk who was persistent with the idea that danger lurked a door knob ahead. Eventually they reunited, but not before the big orc discovered large statues that even made him acknowledge the potential threats.

Slowly approaching said perimeter with the others did all of them recognize them for deity statues to both Dranak and Vainar. What stood out was a massive statue of a gargoyle, prompting the others to have the heavy handed orc strike at the inanimate object, but to no prevail. Provoking it was a foolish notion, granted it made their assumptions true as the Childer began to attack them. Whatever happened forever scared Pitch Slagger of all statues, initially freezing the dwarf in place ironically like the new object of his fear. It was a formidable beast, targeting Arianna in particular for its preference to snuff the life from a creature of light. Luckily the beast was overwhelmed by their number, crushing the monster and signaling for them to venture the place for another day.

16 raining leaves
Rorauk and Shayline head out in the woods and Shayline makes contact with a fairy to ask about the animal deaths. Shayline shifts into a hawk and flies north with the fairy to try to locate the werewolves. They find a cave that they believe the werewolves are in, a bit over a day’s walk from the ToTSU. They fly back and inform Rorauk and Jav-rasn.
17 Raining Leaves
Arianna, Claus, Ekril, Jav-rasn, Rorauk and Shayline begin walking towards the cave, at the end of the day they setup camp and Rorauk works out a guard shift with one person on guard at a time. During Arianna’s shift they are attackes by three werewolves and an Alpha werewolf. Arianna and Rorauk received scratches during this battle but they were able to defeat the werewolves. After the battle Rorauk decided to double the guards on the rest of the shifts for the night, which turned out to be a good thing as during the last shift of the night they were attacked by eight more werewolves. Shayline’s boyfriend, Rendolen, happened to be passing by with his patrol and aided in defeating this batch of werewolves, but not before Arianna, Claus, Ekril, Jav-rasn, and Rorauk all take wounds.
18 Raining Leaves
They wake and Arianna and Shayline are feeling a bit fatigued, but they continue on and locate the cave. They determine that it looks like about a dozen people have been living in it, so they conclude they have killed all the werewolves and start returning back to the ToTSU.
19-20 Raining Leaves
They return to the temple and check in on the progress the miners are making on the renovations. They are all feeling better except for Jav-rasn who is a bit fatigued.

7 Raining LeavesJav-rasn is upset about the decision by Rorauk to keep the tomes closed until they can be given to Dwarven scholars to study so he goes back to the temple to rest while the others decide to explore further in. Another library is found with another book in it which Rorauk puts in his pack with the others to give to the scholars, they find some closed doors they decide to leave closed to explore behind later, a couple apparent residences, and abandoned shops and supply rooms, some large rooms they are unable to determine what they were used for, and another shrine/temple this one to Vainar. During this time they get a bit disoriented and decide that it might be wiser to return to the Temple of The Silver Unicorn and bring in a bunch of torches and light the path back out.
8-9 Raining Leaves
After a good night’s sleep they take torches and light their way back in to the Vainar shrine and setup to sanctify it. In the midst of the ritual they fend off an attack from wraiths.
10-15 Raining Leaves
With the shrine no longer despoiled they decide they have explored enough In here for the time being and determine where to set a door near to the ToTSU to close and secure, and direct the miners on other projects to improve the Temple
13 Raining Leaves
Shayline plants a willow seed outside the temple to start a new grove for a dryad.

28 Forest Dance
Upon arrival at the Temple of The Silver Unicorn the squad discovers that the cave-in has shifted from the recent earthquakes and decide that it is time to clean it up and see what is on the other side.
29 Forest Dance – 6 Raining Leaves
The Squad works with the miners they brought with to clear out the cave-in sufficient to explore past it.
7 Raining Leaves
Leaving the miners to continue cleaning up the mess the squad goes in to see what they can find. They determine that beyond the cave-in is an abandoned Builder tunnel system/keep/base/something. They run into two armored golems which they manage to put out of commission with a bit of battle, and find a library with numerous degraded books and scrolls, but find one scroll and two tomes which appear to have survived the ages. They also found what appears to be a temple or shrine to Dranak. There is dispute between Rorauk and Jav-rasn as to what to do with the tomes.

20 Forest Dance
Brogan Ironreich and Garin Torud leave Hallardrin to go to Crag and join the Greyson’s Grey Rangers.
23 Forest Dance
They arrive in Crag, decide to do a bit of shopping before they join the rangers and purchase a mobile forge for Garin and a wagon and team of horses to haul it. They then continue on their way to join the rangers. They are accepted as new recruits and are sent west to help gather and bring in the first harvest of the season.
24-25 Forest Dance
Brogan and Garin head west to get the harvest caravan prepared to come back to Crag.
26 Forest Dance
Garin checks the local blacksmith to see if he needs any help, Brogan check around to see how the local farmers are doing with the harvest and finds that one farm has recently been bothered by a pack of wolves so he gathers up Garin and they head out there. They headed out to Johann Beck’s farm to see if they could help. Since the pack attacks at night they take a nap in the afternoon and setup an ambush. They kill off all but one of the wolves, one wolf ran off into the night away from the slaughter of his brothers.
27 – 30 Forest Dance
They stick around at the Beck farm, Garin sharpens and repairs equipment while Brogan helped to bring in the harvest.
31 – 32 Forest Dance
They return to the nearby Hamlet to help with the loading of the rest of the wagons heading in to Crag preparing to begin the trip back on the 33rd.
33 Forest Dance
The Caravan makes slow progress back to Crag, camp is set for the night.
1 Raining Leaves
In the morning it is discovered that poorly tethered horses have run off during the night and the day is lost gathering them back up.
2-4 Raining Leaves
More Wagons are gathered on the way into Crag and the rest of the trip to Crag is made without incident.

28 Forest Dance
The squad receives orders to look into the unusually large number of dead animals they had reported in the area of the Silver Unicorn Temple. They hire a number of miners to come with them to do additional work on the temple while they are there. They start their trip to the temple, but just before they reach the temple they spot an old keep that they have never seen there before. They spot a sole person atop one of the towers. Aiden, Claus, Murvoth, and Pitch stay with the wagon and the miners while Arianna, Jav-rasn, Rorauk, and Shayline head over to question the man. He identifies himself as Ekril Heaupof and lowers the drawbridge to admit them. As he starts to tell what he knows the winds start to increase inside the keep, but those at the wagon notice no change in the nice fall weather. And those in the keep spot a group of twenty-one wind wraiths appear outside the keep. The wind wraiths charge across the drawbridge in two columns at Rorauk who has dismounted beside his horse in the sallyport. Jav-rasn flies over Rorauk and sends two quick jets out across the drawbridge taking out half of the wind wraiths and alerting those at the wagon that something is amiss. Rorauk’s horse bolts into the keep’s stable as the battle ensues.
As the battle goes on the obvious leader of the wraiths comes to face Rorauk who is overcome with terror, and picks up a major phobia of strong winds. Aiden, Claus and Murvoth rush down from the wagon and attack from the rear while Pitch remains with the miners and wagon. They have some small success fighting hand to hand, but Jav-rasn has the best luck with his jets taking the wind wraiths out in numbers. Throughout the battle the wind continues to increase. After the battle Jav-rasn and Rorauk both try to settle the spooked horse with no success. They decide to abandon the horse and leave the keep as the winds continue to build. Ekril lowers the keeps banner as Shayline watches over him and all leave the keep.
Shortly after they get out of the effect of the winds the keep once again vanishes and the plain is empty as if it had never been there taking Rorauk’s Horse with it and leaving Ekril with the squad. Ekril thanks the squad for saving him and swears to serve Shayline.